Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

On skills availability and the 800 placements in the institutes of technology - a matter to which reference has been made for the past five or six months - there are a number of ready-made solutions. It is time for a more hands-on approach from the institutes of technology and the Department of Social Protection to match people with skills. There are people with qualifications who cannot get jobs and there is a mismatch somewhere between the industry on one hand, where there are indications of vacancies that cannot be filled, and people coming to us saying they cannot get a job.

We had this issue before and more than a decade ago we set up a task force for technicians, for example, which involved companies, institutes of technology and the long-term unemployed. We prepared an 18 month programme which got these people off the dole queues and into secure jobs. With a hands-on approach, this could be rectified fairly quickly.

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